Welcome to therapy first

Psychotherapy as first-line treatment for gender dysphoria

We’re here to help.

The purest form of listening is to listen without memory or desire.

Wilfred Bion

Therapy First is a U.S. based non-profit organization and international professional association of mental health providers dedicated to offering developmentally informed psychotherapy as the first-line treatment for youth gender dysphoria.

Our mission is to advance the field of mental health in this area and to raise the standard of care for children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing gender dysphoria by supporting and training clinicians, conducting research, and offering public education on mental health and psychotherapy.

Start here

Therapy First exists because we see a great need arising from the current oversimplification and politicalization of gender dysphoria in the field of mental health.

Therapists

Join a professional association of mental health providers who view psychosocial support and a whole person approach as the appropriate front-line treatment for gender-related concerns.

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Clients & Families

If you or someone you care about is suffering from gender-related distress, we offer compassionate and evidence-based resources and can help connect you to a mental health provider.

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Transition-Related Grief

We offer resources and information for those who experience grief related to medical transition, including therapists experienced in working with people who choose to detransition.

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Join Therapy First

Therapy First’s professional association is open to licensed mental health providers. Once you become a member, you’ll join a community of over 300 professionals worldwide who actively support one another in exchanging ideas and sharing resources.

You’ll also gain access to weekly peer supervision groups, get discounts to Therapy First webinars and trainings, and have the opportunity to list your practice on a public directory of psychotherapists.

Featured webinars

Therapy First provides a range of trainings for mental health clinicians working with young people who are questioning their identity.

Male Same-Sex Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Friday September 5th
at 4pm EDT

The talk will examine how male same-sex sexuality is expressed and conceptualized in two different cultures, Samoa and among the Istmo Zapotec in Oaxaca, Mexico, contrasting this with Euro-American culture. It will also discuss cross-culturally invariant aspects of male same-sex sexuality which emerge regardless of cultural differences.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the variety of ways in which male same-sex sexuality is expressed and conceptualized cross-culturally
  • Understand the cross-culturally universal aspects of male same-sex sexuality

Presenter Bio:

Paul L. Vasey is a Professor and Research Chair at the University of Lethbridge. His research focuses on sexual orientation, sex differences, and gender diversity from a comparative perspective. He has conducted long-term research on female homosexual behavior in Japanese macaques from Arahiyama, Japan. For over two decades he has also conducted fieldwork in Samoa, where he works with a group of feminine, same-sex attracted males, known locally as fa’afafine. In 2015, he launched yet another field-site in the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico, where he works with another group of feminine, same-sex attracted males, known locally as muxes. He has published well over 100 refereed articles in journals such as Archives of Sexual Behavior, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and Proceedings of the Royal Society. He is funded by Canada’s social science (SSHRC) and natural science (NSERC) research agencies. His work has been featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines such as New York Times and Oprah, as well as in various documentaries such as National Geographic and Discovery Channel.

 

Therapy First has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7505. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Therapy First is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This webinar provide 1.5 hours of CE credits.

Find a Therapist

We help prospective clients connect with therapists who agree with the tenets of Therapy First’s membership statement.

You can find out more about individual practices by clicking in and viewing their profile.

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